The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
by Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland · first published 2017
42% recommend45% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Light, entertaining genre-blending novel mixing magic, sci-fi, government techno-thriller, history and romance, told through several characters. Suits Stephenson fans wanting a fun, easier read than his denser work.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Absolutely; Neal Stephenson's latest book ("The Rise And Fall Of D.O.D.O.") touches on this, in asking what series of "small" changes it would take to unravel the modern world. Was a good read. From where you sit, what is the impact of the intermix between those two technologies?…
on “What We Get Wrong About Technology” ↗Dichronauts by Greg Egan (adventures in non-Euclidean space) Provenance by Ann Leckie (space opera) The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland (similar themes to Anathem)
on “Ask HN: Best scifi of 2017? (Vernor Vinge/Larry Niven style)” ↗…quantity. The Three Body Problem, The Dark Forest, Death's End - Liu Cixin I’m not sure how fulfilling it would be to just read the first one. They really feel like a single (big) novel. Worth it. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Neal Stephenson, Nicole Galland Kind of Stephenson-light(?). Smart, entertaining and seems destined to be a TV series. The Secret History - Donna Tartt A bit slow to get going. Lots of Greek, snow,…
on “Ask HN: Favorite fiction books of 2018?” ↗I recently read a novel ("The Rise and Fall of D. O. D. O.") that features a paranoid operating system named Shiny Hat, as a supporting detail for the plot. I can recommend the novel, BTW, if you are into science fiction and/or fantasy (I haven't made up my…
on “Tinfoil Hat Linux” ↗This is funny, as I just finished a novel that had this as a large plot point. Talk about Synchronicity. It's Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland's "The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O". It's a pretty entertaining read, from the point of view of several characters. I'm waiting for the sequel in the mail, "Master of the Revels: A Return to Neal Stephenson's D.O.D.O." by Nicole Galland…
on “Vikings on summer jobs as Mediterranean mercenaries left graffiti behind” ↗I haven't read Ra but if people like a mix of magic, fantasy, scifi, govt techno thriller, history and even romance, I highly recommend the Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. I think it's best read with no summary or introduction but if you are a Neal Stephenson fan, I think you would like it.
on “There Is No Antimemetics Division (2018)” ↗Personally I thought Seveneves was pretty good ... the most recent Neal Stephenson novel I read was "The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O." and I loved it. As with Snowcrash, it'd make an awesome movie (if done right)!
on “The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason (2017)” ↗In case you haven't read anything else, and for other people here, yes his books are projects. I really liked Seveneves though. And The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. has been good so far!
on “Snow Crash: HBO Max adaptation of Neal Stephenson's 1992 cyberpunk novel” ↗…finally get to Snow Crash. I suspect I might be reading a few more of his works very soon. I don't think I've read any of the others, though I may have started Seveneves at some point, but I did read "The rise and fall of D.O.D.O." (just before Snow Crash in fact!) which I highly highly recommend as well.
on “I still miss my headphone jack, and I want it back” ↗I didn't like either of them very much, but I've really enjoyed other books of his. - The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. - Seveneves - Cryptonomicon - Anathem - Reamde - Fall; or, Dodge in Hell (Although the metaworld parts in that get a little tiresome)
on “Neal Stephenson was prescient about our AI age” ↗I think I've read every one of his books. My favourite is The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O..
on “Neal Stephenson was prescient about our AI age” ↗I find his earlier works a bit too bizarre and quirky. Although Snow Crash is the essence of cool. Seveneves is probably my favourite, I guess I prefer harder scifi. Fall; or, Dodge in Hell and The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. were pretty good too, although less so. I want to like the Baroque Cycle but I haven't managed to get into it so far.
on “Writing by Hand is Good for your Brain” ↗…than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too. William Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression.…
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗Neal Stephenson's next book is The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., co-written with Nicole Galland, currently to be released June 13, 2017. It seems to be something in a little different vein than his other works, but I'll read it as I do all his books. https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-D-O-D-O-Novel/dp/0062409166...
on “How is NSA breaking so much crypto? (2015)” ↗Wait, the Fuggers were real? I thought that name and family were just an invention of Stephenson's in the Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.!
on “Mansa Musa: The richest man who ever lived” ↗